1. Field of the Invention
This document relates to a plasma display apparatus and a method of driving the plasma display apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
A plasma display apparatus displays an image on a plasma display panel. Each of cells of the plasma display panel is filled with an inert gas containing a main discharge gas such as neon (Ne), helium (He) or a Ne—He gas mixture and a small amount of xenon (Xe). When a high frequency voltage is supplied to an electrode of the plasma display panel, the inert gas within the cells emits vacuum ultraviolet rays. The image is displayed on the plasma display panel by the light-emission of a phosphor formed between barrier ribs.
The plasma display apparatus represent gray scale by a combination of subfields, where the number of light-emissions of each of the subfields is different from one another. Each of the subfields comprises a reset period for initializing the cells of the plasma display panel, an address period for selecting the cells, and a sustain period for representing gray scale in accordance with the number of light-emissions.
The plasma display apparatus for representing gray scale by the combination of the subfields displays an image using a discharge generated by a driving signal supplied to the electrode. In other words, the plasma display apparatus displays an image using a driving signal supplied during each of the reset period, the address period and the sustain period
In the reset period, when a reset signal is supplied to a scan electrode of the plasma display apparatus, wall charges of the cells of the plasma display apparatus remain uniformly.
In the address period, when a scan signal is supplied to the scan electrode and a data signal synchronized with the scan signal is supplied to an address electrode of the plasma display apparatus, the cells, in which a sustain discharge will be generated, are selected.
In the sustain period, when a sustain signal is alternately supplied to the scan electrode and a sustain electrode of the plasma display apparatus, the sustain discharge is generated in the cells selected in the address period. The plasma display apparatus displays an image by performing the sustain discharge.